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Begonia Bumper Pack 21 tubers - 7 of each - £11.99 Fuchsia Giants Collection A 5 young plants - £5 Geranium Colour Carnival F2 Hybrid Mixture 42 plug plants - £6.99 Impatiens (Busy Lizzie) Accent Mixed F1 120 miniplugs + 20 Free - £10.99 Lily 100 Days Collection 10 bulbs - 1 of each variety - £9.99 Petunia Orchid Picotee Mixed F1 100 miniplugs + 10 FREE - £12.49 Verbena F1 Quartz Mixed 84 plug plants - £13.99 |
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Having a clay soil can feel a bit like being at school, - you're going to do something new and the teacher brings out the equipment. But instead of paying attention, you were talking to your friend or daydreaming or at the toilet. Then when there's the mad scramble for the stuff, you get left with every body else's rejects. You know it's going to be difficult, but most of all it just doesn't seem fair!
If you've got clay soil, then you're probably acutely aware of the fact, but if you're not sure, then take a little moist or wet soil in your fingers and rub it gently, If it "polishes" i.e. makes a shiny smooth coating on your fingers and is greyish brown in colour it's probably clay.
Dealing with clay - There are three key elements to improving clay soil
The weather helps to break the soil up in the winter by a freeze / thaw effect on the clods that you dig up. Digging the soil over in the autumn and then leaving it for the weather to act upon is the most effective way of breaking it up. In the spring, the soil can be broken down much more easily into a fine tilth by raking.
Organic matter is the way that you can improve the soil in the longer term. Garden compost, farmyard or stable manure and in large quantities, the bulkier the better. Dig it in if you can, but if there's just too much, then apply it as a thick layer of mulch in the autumn and then leave it for the worms to take down into the soil for you - slower, but effective. Also, whenever you do any work in the garden, you will work the organic matter into the soil as a side-effect.
Time is the third key element. Really
it means repeating the above two, for several years. It will take a few years,
3, 4 or even up to 10 of digging and adding bulky organic matter to really improve
the soil for the long term. So keep on going!
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There are a great many more plants that will grow on clay soil, but these are consistent performers.
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Flowers and ornamentals
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Shrubs
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Climbers
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Potatoes, the traditional crop to break up clay, they don't need a fine tilth, they can push their large strong roots and tubers through the soil and the act of earthing up helps break the soil up and suppress weeds. Main crop or late rather than early varieties as clay soils are slow to warm up in spring. Legumes, Runner / French / Broad beans, Peas. When the crop is over cut the plants off at soil level, leave the roots to rot under ground so adding organic material and nitrogen from the root nodules that the plants form. Brassicas, cabbages, brussels, kale (not cauliflowers though). Main crop or late rather than early varieties as clay soils are slow to warm up in spring. Soft fruits, most types do well as long the soil is not waterlogged at any time. Fruit trees - Apples, Pears and Plums in particular. Not....... Root crops such as carrots and parsnips, they have difficulty in growing through the heavy soil and often end up with forked roots (unless you like the idea of growing "rude" carrots). Any kind of early crops including salads, unless the soil has been warmed in advance by using a cloche, cold-frame or plastic tunnel. |
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Roses,
grow really well in clay soils, they have strong roots that
get through it, the clay then provides plenty of nutrients a
good anchor against wind rock and a ready supply of water that
the rose roots can go and find.
Phormiums,
big trendy grass-like plants with broad sword-like leaves from
New-Zealand. Similar reasons to roses, above.
Aucuba,
Cuban laurel, yellow spotted green leaves.
Berberis
Chaenomeles
- Ornamental or Japanese quince. Masses
of beautiful red to pale pink flowers depending on variety borne
on bare stems when much of the rest of the garden is still dormant.
Choisya
ternata, Mexican orange blossom, Glossy evergreen shrubs
that comes in two main types grown either for wonderfully fragrant
white flowers in summer (and often again in autumn) with green
leaves, or for vibrant yellow leaves in the variety "Sundance"
which unfortunately rarely flowers.
Cornus
varieties - Dogwoods One of the best shrubs for waterlogged
areas for most gardens. Dogwoods are often grown for their winter
stem colour which is red or yellow. There are also varieties
with attractive variegated leaves.
Mahonia,
especially x media) 
Vitis
coignetiae - Crimson glory vine
One of my favourite climbers this one,
large bright green heavily textured leaves up to 12" across whose autumn
colours earn it its common name.
